Chocolate Roses Photo Tutorial

Start by Kneading the Chocolate Plastic (aka Chocolate Paste)

Learn to make Chocolate Roses with this photo tutorial! Chocolate Roses are easy, beautiful, and completely delicious! For easily printable instructions, please refer to the Chocolate Roses recipe.

Edible roses can be made with many different materials, like fondant or marzipan. This tutorial uses chocolate plastic -- otherwise known as chocolate paste -- which is an easy, moldable candy paste made from chocolate and corn syrup. You can use this chocolate plastic recipe to create the chocolate plastic for the roses. This recipe yields about six full-sized 3" roses, but the quantity can be adjusted by the size of the roses you make.

Begin with one-half pound of chocolate plastic. Start kneading your chocolate plastic until it is smooth and supple. If you are using white chocolate plastic, knead it in powdered sugar, and if you are using milk or dark chocolate plastic, knead it in unsweetened cocoa powder. If the plastic is too hard to knead, microwave it in five-second intervals just until it becomes pliable. Do not microwave it too long, or it will be too soft to work with.

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Roll Out the Chocolate Plastic

Elizabeth LaBau

Dust your work surface and a rolling pin with powdered sugar or cocoa powder, and roll the chocolate plastic out into a very thin layer. If you are working with a large amount of chocolate plastic, you might want to divide it in half and roll it out in batches. Keep the portion you're not working with wrapped in plastic so it doesn't dry out.

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Make Sure Your Chocolate Plastic Is Thin Enough

Elizabeth LaBau

Make sure your chocolate plastic is rolled into a very thin layer, less than 1/8" thick.

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Cut Circles Out of the Chocolate Plastic

Elizabeth LaBau

Use a small round cutter to cut circles from the plastic. For one full-sized rose, you will need nine circles, and for rosebuds, you will need four to five. The size of the circle cutter determines the size of your finished rose. A 1.5” cutter will yield a full-sized rose that is approximately 3” wide.

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Form the Center of the Rose

Elizabeth LaBau

Begin by forming the center of your rose: take one of the cut circles and roll it into a cylinder. Leave a small hole at the top of the cylinder, and a larger hole at the bottom.

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Thin the Edges of the Petals

Elizabeth LaBau

Take another circle, and use your fingers to flatten one end of it until it is paper-thin. This will be the top of the petal, and it helps give the rose a more delicate look. You will repeat this thinning step with every petal you put on the rose.

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Wrap the First Petal Around the Center

Elizabeth LaBau

Wrap your first petal around the cylinder, making the top of the petal level with the top of the cylinder, pressing it at the bottom to adhere the chocolate plastic.

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You Now Have A Rosebud

Elizabeth LaBau

With just one petal wrapped around your center, you now have a rosebud! If you want to stop here, curve the edge of the petal inward slightly, so that it partially covers the center of the flower. If you want a flower in full bloom, curve the edge of the petal outward slightly and continue on to the next step to add more petals.

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Finish the First Layer of Petals

Elizabeth LaBau

Thin out the edge of another circle to add a second petal to your blossoming rose. The trick to getting a lifelike rose is to slip the second petal underneath the edge of the first one, as shown in the picture. Add a third petal whose edge starts just under the second one to complete the first layer of petals.

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You Now Have A Small Rose

Elizabeth LaBau

After adding three petals to your center, you should now have a small, half-bloomed rose like that shown above. You can stop here, or, to make a full rose, continue to the next step.

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Add Five More Petals Around the Rose

Elizabeth LaBau

Use the remaining five petals to add a second layer to the rose, thinning the top edges as before, and sliding the edge of each new petal under the previous one as with the first layer. Curl the outer petals back slightly to make your rose bloom.

You will probably have a big glob of excess chocolate plastic at the base of the rose, so pinch off any extra plastic, and re-roll it with the plastic scraps to create more roses.

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Your Chocolate Roses Are Complete

Elizabeth LaBau

Your chocolate roses are now complete! Allow the roses to sit at room temperature and dry for 24 hours. Once set, they can be stored in an airtight container indefinitely.